Search form

Search form

The Senate voted 69-27 to pass a bill authorizing states to collect sales tax on online transactions, even if the seller has no physical presence in the state. House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, plans to refer the measure to the House Judiciary Committee. A spokeswoman for committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., said he has reservations about the measure's potential effect on small businesses and its complexity.

Related Summaries

A patent-reform measure is set to be reintroduced today by House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., but it faces an uncertain future in the Senate. The bill, which would seek to curb patent trolls, also has the backing of the Obama administration.

The House of Representatives is moving forward with a bill that will require online retailers to collect sales tax from customers. A ruling by the Supreme Court in 1992 stated that taxes be collected only by those with a physical presence in a state -- now a tax loophole that has left many retailers feeling burdened by the presence of competing online retailers not affected by the ruling. Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, has released guidelines to shape the legislation on the matter. The Marketplace Fairness Act received bipartisan support when it passed the Senate in May.

The House is unlikely to take up any immigration measures until September because the seven lawmakers drafting a bill need time to educate the public and colleagues, sources say. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., says it could take up to a year for an immigration bill to pass. Members of the Senate's "Gang of Eight" told technology lobbyists to urge House action on immigration.

Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., the incoming chairman of the powerful House Judiciary Committee, is keeping a low profile, in part because he is a potential target of the tea party in the next election. Although Goodlatte will get to weigh in on hot topics, such as gun control and immigration, "[h]is real passion appears to be Internet and intellectual copyright issues," Jonathan Strong writes. Goodlatte was a major supporter of an anti-online piracy measure that failed in the previous Congress.

The House Judiciary Committee subpanel on Courts, Intellectual Property and the Internet this year will conduct several hearings on music royalties. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., has handed the reins of the panel to Rep. Howard Coble, R-N.C. A measure sponsored by Reps. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, and Jared Polis, D-Colo., would reduce the royalties paid by Pandora and other online music services.